US-based tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) is aiming to stamp out smoking for good in the UK by stopping the sale of cigarettes by the end of the next decade.

The firm has embraced the booming market for smoking alternatives, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, in the face of dwindling rates of smokers and mounting evidence fags can cause early death.

As tobacco replacements become more widely used, PMI has pledged to stop selling all of its 130 cigarette brands in Britain by the 2030s with a view to “designing a smoke-free future”.

Marlboro, the world’s best-selling international cigarette, Chesterfield and L&M are among the brands PMI said will eventually be pulled from the shelves of corner shops and supermarkets across the UK.

New research suggesting parts of England could be smoke-free as early as 2024 highlights why PHI has chosen to move towards selling tobacco alternatives.

GETTY

STUBBED OUT: Phillip Morris International has vowed to quit selling fags in the UK by the 2030s

Mark MacGregor, PMI’s director of corporate affairs for the UK and Ireland, told Daily Star Online in January this year that 2030 “feels like a realistic timeframe” for stopping selling cigarettes in the UK.

He said the new research, conducted by Frontier Economics on behalf of PMI, shows that “prediction is true now more than ever”.

He said: “These figures suggest some parts of the country will stop selling cigarettes altogether.

“The rate of smokers is coming down quickly.

“We’re planning for a future without cigarettes.”

GETTY

NOT FOR SALE: British smokers may not be able to buy Marlboro cigarettes from 2030Related Articles

Bristol, whose smoking prevalence rate was 11.14% in 2017, is the first city forecast to completely eradicate the habit by 2024.

Milton Keynes, Bournemouth, Buckinghamshire, Reading and Portsmouth are among the places expected to stamp out smoking by 2027, the data shows.

Areas expected to still be smoking beyond 2050 include North Lincolnshire, Derby and Cheshire East, according to the study.

Deprived areas have a higher prevalence rate of smokers, the research found.

The three areas with the highest rates of smoking – Kingston upon Hull, Blackpool and North Lincolnshire – have an average rate of 22.1% compared to an average rate of 8.8% among the three lowest, which are Rutland, York and Wokingham.

When asked how smokers might react to their favourite cigarettes disappearing from shops, Mr MacGregor extolled the benefits of tobacco alternatives.

GETTY

END OF AN ERA: Tobacco firms want to move towards healthy products

“I hope that cigarette smokers quit altogether,” he said.

“That is the primary focus of the business – encouraging people to use alternatives.

“Many people don't realise alternative products are not as bad for your health.”

The research also highlights a variety of measures that could accelerate the decline in cigarette smokers.

These include increasing the number of smokers using NHS Stop Smoking services and getting more switching to better alternatives like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.

The new figures are detailed on the Last Smoke website, a campaign launched by PML to encourage communities to go smoke free faster.